Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Cover Driveway & Pavers: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide
Cover-compatible driveway and paver work in San Antonio typically runs $7,000 – $18,000 for a full paver driveway installation, with smaller paver patio jobs starting around $3,500. We stock common Cover paver sizes and edge restraints on our trucks, so most quote visits turn into a written price the same day. The way homeowners usually find us: a paver has sunk near the garage apron, a row has shifted after a heavy rain, or the sand joints have washed out and weeds are pushing through. Sometimes it’s a single cracked paver that was hit by a delivery truck, and the owner just wants that one piece matched and reset before the edges start creeping.
We’re an independent San Antonio contractor, not affiliated with Cover. What we do is match their paver profiles and color blends, then install or repair with the same care we bring to every Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio job: drop cloths where they’re needed, shoe covers at the door, and a written price before any work starts.
Which Cover Models This Applies To
Cover driveway and paver systems are sold in a few distinct lines, and the part that fails dictates what needs to be ordered. The most common Cover paver profiles in San Antonio are the 60mm and 80mm thick units, with the 80mm specified for driveway traffic and the 60mm used on walkways and patios. If you’re replacing a driveway paver, you need the 80mm, not the 60mm – a 60mm paver under vehicle load will crack within a year, which we’ve seen happen when a homeowner or a handyman grabs the cheaper profile thinking it’s interchangeable.
Color matching is the second gotcha. Cover blends are manufactured in runs, and a paver bought today won’t always match a driveway installed four years ago. We handle this by pulling a sample from your existing driveway and matching against current stock, then showing you the match in daylight before we install. For OEM versus aftermarket: Cover’s own pavers carry their manufacturer warranty and are the safest choice for a visible repair. Quality aftermarket equivalents exist and can save money, but we only recommend them when the color and compressive strength match the original spec. In San Antonio’s clay-heavy soil, compressive strength matters more than people realize – a cheaper paver that meets the spec on paper but crumbles under our expand-and-contract cycles ends up costing more in two years.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Cover Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Sinking or low spots near the edges. This almost always traces back to the base layer, not the paver itself. San Antonio’s clay soil swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and a base that wasn’t compacted properly will settle unevenly within a few seasons.
- Sand washing out between joints after rain. Polymeric sand hardens after it’s swept in and wetted, but it breaks down over time. When you see bare gaps between pavers, water is getting into the base and accelerating the settling.
- Weeds or ants pushing up through the joints. This is a symptom of joint sand failure. Once the sand is gone, the void is an invitation. Ants in particular will excavate the base material out from under the pavers, which causes collapse.
- Chipped or cracked pavers, especially near the driveway entrance. Delivery trucks, garbage trucks, and heavy pickups concentrate load right at the apron. A cracked paver there usually means the base underneath flexed, not that the paver itself was defective.
- Wobbling pavers when you step on them. A paver that rocks underfoot has lost its contact with the base. It’s one bad rain away from cracking, and it’s a sign the surrounding area is starting to move too.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s what we quote in San Antonio, written down before any work starts:
- Paver driveway installation (new): $7,000 – $18,000
- Paver patio installation: $3,500 – $11,000
- Driveway replacement (any material): $5,000 – $14,000
- Concrete driveway installation: $4,500 – $12,000
- Asphalt driveway paving: $3,500 – $9,000
- Driveway sealing: $250 – $700
What moves the number within those ranges: the square footage, whether we’re repairing the base or building new, access for equipment, and whether the existing pavers can be salvaged and reset. Every quote includes the paver material, base prep, joint sand, edge restraint, and haul-off of old material. The price we write down is the price you pay – no change orders because the crew found something after demo. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies: if a paver settles or a joint fails within a year of our work, we come back and make it right at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
There are a few things an owner in San Antonio can safely check without any risk. You can sweep out a failed joint and re-sand a small section if the pavers themselves are still solid and level. You can pull a single weed before it roots under a paver. You can look for the low spots after a rain and note where water pools. Those observations help us quote faster when you call.
What we’d steer you away from: resetting pavers yourself. The danger isn’t the paver, it’s the base. If you lift a paver, add a little sand, and drop it back down without compacting the base level, you’ve created a soft spot that will settle within months. And moving a full pallet of 80mm pavers is back-breaking work, each one weighs around 30 pounds. For a single cracked paver or a small settled row, we can usually handle the repair in a half day. Call (432) 233-0976 and we’ll schedule a look.
FAQs
A properly installed Cover paver driveway in San Antonio lasts 25 – 30 years, with the caveat that the base layer matters more than the paver. Our clay soil is the limiting factor, so we over-excavate and compact more than minimum spec. Call (432) 233-0976 if your driveway is showing age earlier than that – estimates are free.
Yes, in most cases a single cracked paver or a small settled section can be lifted, the base re-leveled, and the pavers reset without touching the rest of the driveway. The exceptions are when the base has failed over a wide area or the pavers have shifted so much the pattern can’t be relaid cleanly. We’ll tell you honestly which situation you’re in when we walk it.
A one-to-three paver repair is usually a half-day job. A full driveway replacement in San Antonio typically takes two to four days, depending on access, weather, and how much base work is needed. We’ll give you a written timeline with the quote.
We stock common Cover 60mm and 80mm profiles and their matching edge restraints on our service trucks, along with the polymeric sand we use in San Antonio’s climate. Uncommon colors or discontinued blends take a few days to source, and we’ll show you the match before installation.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio at Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio, serving San Antonio and nearby areas.
